TRANSPORT

Blue Badge Scheme

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on removing blue parking permits from circulation once the permit holders are deceased.

Norman Baker: Regulations require that the badge must be returned immediately to the issuing authority on the death of the holder. We advise local authorities to include details of how to return the badge in their death registry packs, and to cross reference deaths registered in their area against their Blue Badge records so that recall notices can be issued as required.
	The Gov.UK website also includes a list of items about which a deceased individual's family may need to contact their local authority, as part of the process of registering the death. This includes Blue Badges.
	In addition, we issue a “Rights and Responsibilities” booklet to badge holders which makes it clear that the badge should be returned to the issuing authority on the death of the badge holder and that it is a criminal offence for people other than the badge holder to take advantage of the parking concessions provided under the scheme. Similar information is included on the badge itself.

Rail Franchise Advisory Panel

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what safeguards are in place to ensure that members of the Rail Franchise Advisory Panel are not subject to conflicts of interest.

Simon Burns: The membership was appointed after consultation with the Chair of the Panel, Richard Brown. The code of conduct for board members of public bodies published by the Cabinet Office was followed to ensure that there were no conflicts of interest.
	As part of their terms and conditions of employment panel members will be expected to declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest. Any conflicts will need to be managed and regularly reviewed to avoid any perception of bias, taking account of the need for the panel also to be populated by members with relevant expertise and experience.

Roads: Safety

Khalid Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider introducing a national road safety awareness campaign aimed at children and young people similar to the Green Man campaigns of the past.

Stephen Hammond: Recent years have seen record lows in the number of killed and seriously injured road accident casualties. Child pedestrian casualties have fallen considerably and are now at their lowest ever level. In 2011, there were 33 child (age 0-15) pedestrian fatalities, down 42% on the 2005-09 average and 1,569 serious injuries, down 15%. However, we know that one death is one too many, which is why we are focusing our THINK! road safety campaigns where they will have the greatest impact.
	Instead of delivering child road safety messages through advertising, we are working more closely with local authorities and other partners who engage with children directly to ensure our messages are reaching children and teenagers in schools. We are encouraging partners to communicate road safety messages to a greater extent in PSHE lessons, assemblies, tutor times and the wider curriculum by enhancing the quality of resources provided to schools. We are making these resources, which include lesson plans, posters and booklets, easier to access and use in the classroom and are making them available to other groups who engage with children and young people including road safety officers and out of school group leaders.
	Government marketing spend has been reduced since June 2010 to help deliver efficiency savings and only the most essential campaigns—including several THINK! road safety campaigns—are going ahead. In this new environment, the current priorities for THINK! advertising are motorcycling safety, where accident rates are highest and drink driving, where a small minority continue to flout the law.
	Our THINK! communication campaigns are only one part of our road safety work. We are also investing in infrastructure to make our roads safer and more efficient; taking steps to make it easier for the police to enforce against drivers who break the law; and we have streamlined the process for councils to implement 20mph zones and limits on their roads.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Fuels: Tax Evasion

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the implications of Northern Ireland not being part of the National Crime Agency for measures to prevent fuel laundering and smuggling in Northern Ireland.

Michael Penning: The National Crime Agency will be able to operate in Northern Ireland in relation to matters that are not devolved, including investigations into smuggling by organised crime groups importing illicit commodities, and will continue to support HMRC activity to tackle fuel laundering, as SOCA does now.
	The failure of the Northern Ireland Executive to agree a legislative consent motion in the Assembly, while very disappointing, only prevents the National Crime Agency undertaking operational activities which relate to transferred matters. However, NCA will be able to provide support and advice to the PSNI in relation to matters falling within devolved responsibilities. It will also be possible to designate National Crime Agency Officers in Northern Ireland with customs and immigration powers.

Parades Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  at how many party conferences the Parades Commission has been represented in each year since that body's creation;
	(2)  how much the Parades Commission has spent on attendance at political party events in Northern Ireland in each year since that body's creation.

Theresa Villiers: The Northern Ireland Office has recently reviewed its approach to Parades Commission attendance at party conferences in line with Cabinet Office guidance. In light of this, we have advised the Commission to consult with the NIO in advance of any future attendance at such events. For previous years, the right hon. Member may wish to write to the Commission directly in relation to their attendance at party conferences and charges paid in relation to such attendance.

Parades Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Parades Commission has spent on (a) marketing and (b) press advertising in each year since its creation.

Theresa Villiers: The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland may procure marketing and press advertising services, without prior approval of the NIO, subject to being within approved control limits that are set by Cabinet Office. Given this level of operational independence from Government, the right hon. Member may wish to write to the Commission directly on these matters.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Energy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations his Department has received from individuals, groups, research bodies, consultants and other interested parties on its 2050 calculator energy modelling tool since it was launched; and what encouragement his Department has given for the calculator to be used by external parties.

Gregory Barker: The 2050 Pathways Calculator was first published in 2010. Over a hundred experts and organisations were involved in its development, and since publication several hundred organisations have engaged with the Calculator. In particular, individuals and organisations have engaged through the public Call for Evidence period in autumn 2010, the stakeholder presentations following launch, public energy debates— for example at Hay Festival and in the cities of Nottingham and Liverpool, online discussions, parliamentary events and committees, academic projects and through international collaborations.
	The respondents to the Call for Evidence are listed online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/2050-pathways-analysis
	In addition, many thousand individuals have accessed and used the 2050 Calculator online, with more than 80,000 unique visitors to the web tool, and 94,000 having used the My2050 simulation. Individuals and organisations have used the calculator to contribute their preferred pathway for the UK energy system. Some of those contributions are listed here:
	https://www.gov.uk/2050-pathways-analysis#the-debate
	Organisations and experts have also engaged via the 2050 Wiki, which is designed to provide a free-flowing exchange of new evidence as technologies and their costs develop. Their responses are visible in the wiki at:
	http://2050-calculator-tool-wiki.decc.gov.uk
	The 2050 Calculator was built with an ethos of transparency and accessibility in order to create and share a platform for informed debate about the energy options facing the UK over the long-term. As such, the Department has welcomed and encouraged its use, both in the UK and abroad. This has included through its use to support parliamentary debate, as an educational resource in schools and universities, and its adaptation by foreign Governments to help develop energy policy overseas.
	To encourage this we have developed a School's Toolkit to support teachers in providing informative and interactive lessons on how the UK can power itself and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is available online:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/my2050-schools-toolkit
	We have also trialled various approaches to facilitating public debate, the results of which are listed online at:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130109092117/http://decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/tackling-climate-change/2050/3680-findings-from-the-decc-2050-deliberative-dialogues.pdf
	The Department, working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, has also undertaken significant international engagement to encourage other Governments to develop their own 2050 Calculators to enhance their ability to plan a low-carbon energy system. Calculators have now been completed by the People's Republic of China and South Korea, and are under development in nine further countries. The current state of this international outreach is listed online:
	https://www.gov.uk/international-outreach-work-of-the-2050-calculator

Energy Companies Obligation

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans his Department has to offer households living in privately-owned properties with gas central heating access to the same level of Energy Company Obligation funding as is available to similar households with electric heating.

Gregory Barker: The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) is an obligation on the main energy supply companies which they meet by promoting energy domestic efficiency measures. Both gas-heated and electrically-heated properties are eligible for support, but within the terms of the scheme how companies meet their obligations is a matter for them, including what measures they promote and where they make funding available.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the total tonnage of greenhouse gases emitted was in the UK in each year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The UK's total greenhouse gas emissions are available for the years 1990 to 2012. These are provided in the following table in millions of tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). Further information on how these numbers are calculated can be found at the following website address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/final-uk-emissions-estimates
	
		
			 Table: UK Greenhouse gas emissions as reported in the 2011 Greenhouse Gas Inventory and provisional statistics release—(includes emissions removals from land use, land use change and forestry) 
			  Total emissions (million tonne CO2 equivalent) 
			 1990 769.7 
			 1991 776.5 
			 1992 753.4 
			 1993 732.4 
			 1994 720.3 
			 1995 711.0 
			 1996 731.4 
			 1997 704.8 
			 1998 703.1 
			 1999 672.0 
			 2000 675.2 
			 2001 678.9 
			 2002 658.6 
			 2003 665.5 
			 2004 665.2 
			 2005 659.0 
			 2006 655.0 
			 2007 644.7 
			 2008 630.5 
			 2009 576.8 
			 2010 594.0 
			 2011 552.6 
			 2012(1) 571.6 
			 (1 )Provisional—Finalised February 2014 Source: DECC 2013

Renewable Energy: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will visit Corby and meet representatives of Electric Corby.

Michael Fallon: I would welcome a meeting with representatives from Electric Corby either in London or in Corby, depending on the constraints of my diary.

Wind Power: Tees Valley

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will estimate the proportion of the monetary value of the contract for the Teesside Offshore Wind Farm Project's (a) turbines, (b) rotors, (c) transformers, (d) offshore cables, (e) onshore cables, (f) array cables and (g) subsea capability that is being provided by firms based in (i) Hartlepool constituency, (ii) Teesside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: The Department is working with the Offshore Wind Industry Council to develop an agreed methodology to measure and report on UK content of future offshore wind farm projects.
	The methodology will help us review progress towards a competitive supply chain in the UK, providing a much higher percentage content of offshore wind farm projects.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Lobbying

Paul Flynn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many staff in his Department have worked on the creation of a Register of Lobbyists since May 2010; which (a) individuals and (b) organisations he has met to discuss developing such a register since May 2010; and what draft documents his Department has produced on the development of a Register of Lobbyists since May 2010.

Chloe Smith: A number of staff members from various teams have contributed differing proportions of their time to the development of a statutory register of lobbyists. As a result it has not been possible to quantify the number of staff that worked on the creation of the register since May 2010.
	Cabinet Office Ministers have met with, and received representations from, a wide range of organisations during the development of the register.
	With regards to draft documents developed in relation to the register, the Government published a Green Paper in January 2012. The Government do not comment on internal draft documents,

CABINET OFFICE

Capita

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office contractual expenditure with Capita from 2008 to the present is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Amount spent by year (£) 
			 Capita Company 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14(1) 
			 Capita — — — 11,200 — 131,845 46,202 
			 Capita Business Services Limited 5,269,610 5,650,245 5,193,721 988,379 33,027 143,748 62,934 
			 Capita Civil Superannuation 3,439 — — — — — — 
			 Capita Hartshead Ltd — — 39,317 15,863 — — — 
			 Capita Health Solutions Ltd 7,441 11,426 453,137 2,220 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Capita Health Solutions plc 421 — — — — — — 
			 Capita Learning and Development 13,385 7,826 — — — — 16,499 
			 Capita Resourcing Ltd 44,844 66,943 — 2,691,561 3,862,112 9,400,16 1 2,182,078 
			 Capita Symonds Health — — — 12,156 36,372 19,494  
			 Capita Symonds Ltd — — 2,422 499,535 486,468 27,972 5,950 
			 Capita Tracing Solutions Ltd — — — 1,093 — — — 
			 Capita Trust Co Ltd — — 931  — — — 
			 GBS Capita Civil Superannuation — — — 500 — — — 
			 Veredus c/o Capita Sourcing Ltd 120,326 13,084 — — — — — 
			 (1) To 31 May 
		
	
	As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of all contracts with a value of £10,000 or more have been published on Contracts Finder since January 2011:
	https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
	In addition, Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000 is published at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Childbirth

Andrew George: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many live births there were in each constituent country of the UK in each quarter of 2012.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Minister for the Cabinet Office asking how many live births there were in each constituent country of the UK in each quarter of 2012 [159569].
	The table below shows the number of live births in the constituent countries of the UK by quarter for 2012. Births data for quarter 4 England and Wales will be published in August 2013.
	
		
			 Number of live births by quarter, 2012 (provisional), UK and constituent countries 
			 Number of live births (thousand) 
			 Year and quarter UK England Wales Scotland Northern Ireland 
			 2012      
			 March (Q1) 201.1 170.9 8.8 14.8 6.6 
			 June (Q2) 201.0 171.8 8.6 14.3 6.2 
			 September (Q3) 207.7 177.7 9.0 14.7 6.3 
			 December (Q4) n/a n/a n/a 14.2 6.2 
			 n/a Denotes not yet available Note: Data are provisional Source: Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	For more information, quarterly births data are published on the ONS website at:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/vital-statistics--population-and-health-reference-tables/summer-2013-update/index.html

Safety

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the proportion of people who felt (a) fairly or (b) very safe walking alone after dark, by gender, in each year for which data is available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for the Home Department asking for the proportion of people who felt (a) fairly or (b) very safe walking alone after dark, by gender, in each year for which data is available. (159016)
	The Crime Survey for England and Wales has included the question ‘How safe do you feel walking alone in this area after dark?’ since the survey began in 1981. The proportion of people who said that they felt ‘fairly safe’ or ‘very safe’ walking alone after dark, by gender, is included in the following table for each year that the survey has taken place since 1981.
	
		
			 Table: Proportion of people who said that they felt ‘fairly safe’ or ‘very safe’ walking alone after dark by gender, 1981 to 2011/12, England and Wales 
			 Percentage 
			  Very safe Fairly safe Total proportion feeling very or fairly safe 
			  Male Female Male Female Male Female 
			 1981 45 12 41 37 86 49 
			 1983 50 14 37 38 87 52 
			 1987 45 12 40 38 85 51 
			 1991 43 12 43 39 86 51 
			 1993 39 10 44 36 84 46 
			 1995 40 11 45 42 85 53 
			 1997 41 11 44 40 85 52 
			 1999 39 12 45 41 84 53 
			 2001/02 41 14 42 38 84 53 
			 2002/03 40 13 42 37 82 51 
			 2003/04 42 15 42 39 84 53 
			 2004/05 43 16 42 41 85 57 
			 2005/06 40 15 43 40 83 55 
			 2006/07 39 16 44 40 83 56 
			 2007/08 40 16 43 40 83 56 
			 2008/09 41 17 43 40 83 57 
			 2009/10 45 19 40 42 85 61 
			 2010/11 47 21 39 43 86 64 
			 2011/12 48 22 40 43 87 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Note: Prior to 2001/02, CSEW estimates relate to the calendar year (January to December). From2001/02 onwards estimates relate to the financial year (April to March). Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales 
		
	
	The Crime Survey for England and Wales is a face-to-face victimisation survey in which people resident in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences and perceptions of crime and crime-related issues. Data for 2012/13 will be available from 18 July 2013.
	Crime statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland are collected and published separately, and can be downloaded from:
	Scotland:
	http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice
	Northern Ireland:
	http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/northern-ireland-crime-survey-s-r/r--s-bulletin-1-2013-experience-of-crime-findings-from-the-2011-12-northern-ireland-crime-survey.htm

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Jo Swinson: The information the Department holds on personnel seconded from KMPG; Ernst and Young; PWC and Deloitte from 1 January 2010 to the present has previously been published on the Department's website and is reproduced as follows. In accordance with data protection principles, the Department does not release personal data of staff below senior civil service grades.
	
		
			 Name of organisation Role Group Date seconded from Date seconded to Salary (£) 
			 PWC Govt Property Unit Shareholder Executive May 2011 July 2011 53,543-67,313 
			 Deloitte Market Frameworks Business Environment June 2011 June 2012 53,543-67,313 
			 KPMG Govt Property Unit Shareholder Executive October 2011 At Cab Office 44,186-55,562 
			 KPMG Portfolio Unit Shareholder Executive November 2011 November 2012 58,200-117,750 
			 PWC Strategic Relations Project Manager UKTI December 2011 November 2012 44,186-55,562 
			 Ernst and Young Strategic Relations Project Manager UKTI January 2012 December 2012 32,241-40,701 
			 Ernst and Young Strategic Relations Project Manager UKTI February 2012 December 2012 27,070-32,866 
			 PWC Green Investment Bank Shareholder Executive February 2012 December 2012 53,543-67,313 
			 PWC Senior Manager UKTI May 2012 November 2012 Withheld 
			 Deloitte Portfolio Unit Shareholder Executive February 2013 October 2013 53,543-67,313 
		
	
	BIS uses secondments to improve its people capabilities, share knowledge and expertise with private sector organisations and key stakeholders; and give individuals a chance to learn how Government works.
	Every effort is made to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest for either side as a result of the secondment, and the Department makes sure that we get the best value for money from the process.

Employment: Females

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to increase the number of women in the workforce; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	as Under-Secretary of State for Women and Equalities.
	There are more women employed in the UK than ever before with 13.8 million women in employment, 355,000 more women in employment since the Government came to power.
	We are taking firm action to help women and families. Through Think, Act, Report we are working with business to tackle the gender pay gap and get more women into senior jobs. We are introducing a new system of shared parental leave so that men and women can share caring responsibilities for their children, and we are extending the right to request flexible working to everyone. We have also taken action to help families with the cost of child care to ensure that parents are not 'priced out' of the workplace.
	The Women's Business Council has just launched its excellent report which is focused on maximising the economic impact of women in the UK. We have accepted their recommendations and will publish an action plan in the autumn. We have announced a series of early actions which will make a real difference in each of the four key areas identified in the report.
	Additionally, the Work programme is providing unemployed men and women with unprecedented levels of personal support to get them into the workplace. Universal credit will help an estimated 300,000 workless households into work.

Higher Education: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have (a) applied to and (b) accepted conditional or unconditional offers from each university in (i) the North East and (ii) Yorkshire and Humber for the 2013-14 academic year.

David Willetts: The information is not held centrally. Data on applications and acceptances are collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), but they have not released any data for individual institutions for the 2013 application cycle. UCAS is an organisation independent from government.

Regional Growth Fund

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies have been awarded loans from Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund; how many such companies are now in receipt of funds; and how many such companies have received in full the amounts indicated when the allocations for Round 2 were announced in October 2011.

Michael Fallon: One company has been awarded a loan from Round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund; this has been paid in full.

Street Trading

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will give consideration to bringing forward legislative proposals to require pedlars to obtain a licence for peddling in each area from the local authority rather than a licence for the whole UK.

Jo Swinson: A consultation on the Government's proposals for reform of the street trading and pedlary regime was held between November 2012 and April this year and the consultation responses are currently being analysed. The purpose of the reforms is to ensure compliance with the EU services directive.

DEFENCE

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and Civil Service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Andrew Murrison: There are currently no secondees in the Ministry of Defence from KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst and Young or PWC.

Africa

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department is providing to US military operations in (a) Mali, (b) the Maghreb and (c) the Horn of Africa. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The UK currently has less than five personnel embedded with the US in advisory roles within the US Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of disciplinary processes in (a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy, (c) the Royal Air Force and (d) the Royal Marines which took place in 2012 cited alcohol as a contributing factor.

Andrew Murrison: Data is available on those disciplinary processes in which the charge is specifically about the individual having been drinking alcohol. In addition, when a charge is entered on the Joint Personnel Administration system, there is provision to indicate that alcohol was a contributory factor in the offence. The data derived from this process must be considered indicative, as listing of alcohol as a contributory factor is not validated.
	The following table shows the proportion of disciplinary procedures in 2012 where either the charges specifically refer to alcohol or drinking, or alcohol is listed as having a contributory role in the offence.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 Royal Navy (inc. Royal Marines) 31.6 
			 Army 19.9 
			 Royal Air Force 24.6

Armed Forces: Mental Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to maintain and improve the mental awareness and combat readiness of (a) aircraft pilots and (b) other service personnel.

Andrew Robathan: Every serviceperson, in any trade or branch, including pilots, has their own specific training and evaluations designed to ensure they are able to deliver full operational capability, relevant to their role, when called upon.
	From initial training to specialisation training and career development, all training is tailored to develop an individual's knowledge, skills and attitude, combining the military knowledge required to operate, academic skills to underpin this training and holistic training and support to develop the individuals preparedness for operations. This approach enables the delivery of appropriately trained personnel and force elements at readiness in the right place, at the right time and in the most cost-effective manner.
	In addition, we exploit every opportunity to deliver excellence in education and training. This includes the production of training methodologies to bring science to the training arena and develop innovative training technology, with civilian partners, to ensure that our personnel learn in the most up-to-date, effective and efficient fashion.
	As such, all elements of training combine to make sure we develop an individual's mental awareness and readiness to deploy.

Joint Forces Command

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role the Joint Forces Command will have in ensuring robust financial management in the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: The Defence Reform Review recommended that Service Chiefs take responsibility, and ultimately own the budget, for the detailed capability planning to deliver the strategic direction set by the Defence Board.
	In addition to planning core Joint Forces Command functions, a key tenet of the subsequent design is the introduction of the Lead Command concept, nominating Commands to lead on the capability planning and financial management of pan-Defence capabilities. Joint Forces Command will act as the lead Command for Medical, Special Projects, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C41SR) and Cyber Defence.

Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged with as part of the Scotland Analysis Programme; and what was discussed at each such consultation.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has engaged with other Government Departments and a range of external stakeholders. A wide range of defence issues relating to UK and Scotland were discussed.

Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland Analysis Programme; and at what cost to the public purse.

Andrew Robathan: Work on the Scotland Analysis Programme is being carried out by a small team from within existing departmental resources.

Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what work his Department has commissioned by external consultants on the Scotland Analysis Programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has not commissioned any work by external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland Analysis programme.

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average response time was of the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency to queries raised with them by veterans in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Murrison: The majority of queries received by the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency are fielded in the first instance by the Veterans UK Freephone Helpline and, to a lesser extent, the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS). The latest year to date (YTD) figures are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Call response times YTD Written correspondence response times YTD 
			 HELPLINE 1 minute 26 seconds 98.72% within five working days of receipt 
			 VWS Not held 99.47% within five working days of receipt

Service Personnel and Veterans Agency

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to escalate cases within the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency if they are not dealt with within a satisfactory period for a response.

Andrew Murrison: Information on the complaints process for veterans, including the escalation tiers, is included in the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency website at:
	http://www.veterans-uk.info/complaints/complaints.html
	The Joint Personnel Administration system (JPA) details the complaints process for serving personnel.

Territorial Army

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in each Territorial Army infantry company in each location received a bounty in each of the last three years.

Andrew Murrison: Figures at unit level are not collated and validated on a routine basis at present, so the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The numbers of Territorial Army Group A infantry personnel who received a bounty in the 12 month period to 1 April are as follows:
	
		
			 As at April each year: Number 
			 2011 3,490 
			 2012 3,330 
			 2013 3,310

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether disciplinary measures have been brought against members of the Army in relation to the operation of unmanned aerial systems. [R]

Andrew Robathan: As with any activity undertaken by military personnel, Commanders may initiate disciplinary action if they consider there to have been an offence committed under the Armed Forces Act 2006. Such action will depend upon how an individual has conducted themselves, and whether any applicable regulations have been breached. All crashes involving unmanned aerial vehicles are investigated and Defence Air Safety Occurrence Reports completed and, to date, no individual has been disciplined as a result.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2013, Official Report, column 221W, on unmanned air vehicles, whether the UK-USAF airframe arrangement allows the US to use UK unmanned air vehicles should a US unmanned air vehicle be unavailable. [R]

Andrew Robathan: Under the Reaper agreement the United States Air Force (USAF) may request use of a UK Reaper airframe. The UK airframes would be operated by the USAF in line with UK procedures and Rules of Engagement.
	This option has not been taken up by the USAF. US pilots have not flown UK Reaper except during the launch and recovery phase, from Kandahar, in support of operations in Afghanistan.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 18 April 2013, Official Report, column 527W, on unmanned air vehicles, what the total cost of this training was; what the cost of training each pilot was; and by how much costs increased as a result of changes in training subsequent to the Hermes 450 ZK515 Service Inquiry. [R]

Andrew Robathan: Unmanned aerial systems training is provided through a combination of industry delivered courses and military run training. It is not possible to separate training from wider activity costs. Since the Hermes 450 ZK515 Service Inquiry, airmanship development training has been enhanced for Hermes 450 pilots at a cost to date of £26,100.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many drone strikes carried out by UK armed forces have resulted in fatalities in each of the last three years; and how many such fatalities were subsequently found to have been non-combatants.

Andrew Robathan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11 July 2011, Official Report, column 52W, to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas).

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking in liaison with his international counterparts to regulate the use of armed drones; and who is responsible for the legality of their use.

Andrew Robathan: No steps are being taken to regulate the use of armed drones, or remotely piloted air systems (RPAS), as the framework for their use is clear. The rules of engagement applied are identical to those used by crews of manned combat aircraft.
	The selection and prosecution of all targets is based on rigorous scrutiny which is compliant with international humanitarian law, rules of engagement and targeting policy. Targets are always positively identified as legitimate military objectives. Every effort is made to ensure that harm to civilians or damage to civilian property is minimised; this may include deciding not to use a weapon at all.
	The use of any of the weapons depends upon commands from the flight crew.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the legal framework for attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles targeted at particular individuals.

Andrew Robathan: None.

TREASURY

Banks: Loans

David Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vulnerable people are not missold loans they cannot afford to repay.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
	As set out in the coalition agreement, the Government is committed to curbing unsustainable lending and improving consumer protections, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. The Government has taken a number of steps to deliver on this commitment.
	All lenders are required by law, under section 55B of the Consumer Credit Act (CCA) to assess a borrower's creditworthiness before providing credit or significantly increasing the amount of credit extended.
	Under the CCA, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is responsible for licensing lenders and can take action against businesses that engage in unfair practices or exploit vulnerable consumers.
	The OFT sets out clearly in its ‘Irresponsible Lending Guidance’ the responsibility of lenders to conduct proper assessments of affordability before granting credit.
	Further, the OFT has statutory powers to tackle non-compliance where there is evidence that a firm is in breach of the law or not meeting the required standards. The CCA 2006 made it explicit that evidence of irresponsible lending will call into question a firm's fitness to hold a consumer credit licence. More recently Government has given the OFT the power to suspend a lender's licence with immediate effect if there is serious risk of harm to consumers.
	There are clear concerns about payday lenders providing loans to those who cannot afford them. The OFT is currently taking stringent action on non-compliant payday lenders as a top enforcement priority. The revised payday lending codes implemented last November also commit members of the main payday trade bodies to carry out sound, proper and appropriate affordability assessments and credit vetting before each loan application and before a loan is rolled over to check a customer's ability to repay.
	Government is transferring the regulation of consumer credit from the OFT to the Financial Conduct Authority from April 2014. The FCA will have a wide range of strong powers to tackle consumer detriment including the ability to ban products, order redress to be paid to consumers and impose unlimited fines.

Revenue and Customs

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the system of relationship-building with big corporations carried out by the previous head of HM Revenue and Customs, Dave Hartnett, is still being practised by HM Revenue and Customs; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) introduced its Large Business Strategy in 2006 following the Review of Links with Large Business. The model of large business relationship management pioneered by HMRC is the most efficient way of ensuring that these high-value, high-risk and complex taxpayers pay the tax that is due. Since 2006, HMRC's approach has increasingly been adopted by other countries and its benefits have been recognised by the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This has enabled HMRC to recover £34 billion additional compliance revenue between 2006 and March 2013 from the 800 largest businesses (of which £5 billion was recovered last year alone).

Stationery

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what office supplies his Department purchased in each year between 2005 and 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Sajid Javid: The Department purchases a large range of office supplies (stationary) from various suppliers and it would not be possible to itemise the purchases within the disproportionate costs threshold. Total spending in each year between 2005 and 2011 can be found in the following table:
	
		
			 Stationary costs £ 
			 2005-06 257,513 
			 2006-07 352,675 
			 2007-08 318,715 
			 2008-09 232,641 
			 2009-10 344,492 
			 2010-11 142,759 
			 2011-12 117,474

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current backlog is of (a) asylum cases and (b) general immigration cases.

Mark Harper: The Home Office publishes data on asylum work in progress. This can be found here:
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/further-key-data/
	Caseloads in the general immigration system were published by The Home Affairs Select Committee, in its fourteenth report (The work of the UK Border Agency (July-September 2012). The report can be found here:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmhaff/792/79206.htm

Asylum: Milton Keynes

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum legacy cases are outstanding and have not received a decision in postcode areas (a) MK40, (b) MK41 and (c) MK42.

Mark Harper: The numbers of asylum legacy cases outstanding which have not received a decision in the named post codes are as follows;
	
		
			  Number 
			 (a) MK40 0 
			 (b) MK41 0 
			 (c) MK42 2 
		
	
	Results are based on person ID rather than case reference ID in line with Older Live Cases Unit reporting. As the query relies on postcodes, data quality in relation to formal addresses on the Home Office database may affect the accuracy of the figures.
	The information has been provided from local management information and has not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.

Asylum: Young People

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the Children's Society report into asylum support for children and young people, published in January 2013; and if she will make a statement.

Mark Harper: The report made a number of recommendations, which I responded to during the Westminster Hall debate on asylum support for children and young people on 27 February 2013. Careful consideration has been given to the recommendations of the report in conducting a review of asylum support rates, the result of which was announced on 6 June 2013.

Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department will respond to Philip Alliah's letter regarding his mother Diana Adzorker's application for entry clearance.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 5 June 2013.

Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department will respond to the letter of Robert Kelly regarding his business partner, Shuai Feng Zhao's business visa application.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 6 June 2013.

Cybercrime

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of the cost to the UK economy of cyber-crime.

James Brokenshire: I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given on 10 January 2013, Official Report, column 418W.

Entry Clearances

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of decisions to refuse entry clearance were (a) the subject of appeals to HM Court and Tribunal Service and (b) reversed on appeal in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas on an annual and quarterly basis. A full breakdown of the number of visa applications received and their resolution, along with data on the numbers of appeals received and their outcomes, are all published. The data requested for 2011 and 2012, compiled from these published statistics, is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table 1: Entry clearance visa applications, 2011 and 2012 
			  Applications Issued Refused 
			 2011 2,607,142 2,275,417 320,771 
			 2012 2,562,517 2,229,357 339,965 
			 Note: Data compiled from Table "be_01_q" of the release “Immigration Statistics January-March 2013”, available from the Library of the House and from the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Entry clearance appeals, 2011 and 2012 
			  Received Allowed Dismissed 
			 2011 79,906 24,919 28,660 
			 2012 46,071 16,636 21,831 
			 Notes: 1. Data extracted from Table “be.07” of the release “Immigration Statistics January-March 2013”, available from the Library of the House and from the GOV.UK website above. 2. Appeals received do not necessarily relate to applications refused in the same period. Appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to appeals received in the same period.

Hooliganism: Football

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what steps she has taken to ensure that banning orders on football hooligans are enforced;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to reduce levels of violence at and around football matches.

Damian Green: holding answer 13 May 2013
	A committed partnership approach is key to reducing football violence and disorder. The Home Office works with police, the football authorities, other Government Departments and fans' groups to ensure there are appropriate legislative tools available to minimise the threat of disorder, to plan for safe and secure matches, and to encourage self-policing by supporters. I chaired a meeting with police, football authorities and safety authorities on 1 May to ensure the continuing commitment of all responsible agencies to working together to reduce violence and disorder at football matches.
	The large majority of football supporters are law abiding individuals. Although levels of football disorder have been significantly reduced and orchestrated football violence marginalised over the last decade, the risk of spontaneous alcohol-fuelled incidents, especially at high-risk and high-tension matches remains. A range of football-specific legislation complements public order legislation which enables police to respond to incidents of violence and disorder. Police football intelligence officers share information with one another, clubs and other authorities involved in the security and safety planning, to minimise the risk of violence or disorder.
	Football banning orders are the highly effective cornerstone of our preventative strategy, prohibiting those subject to an order from attending matches for between three and 10 years and addressing the individual offenders' behaviour with additional conditions if necessary. There are currently 2,426 individuals subject to orders imposed in England and Wales. Football intelligence officers know their local individuals subject to a banning order, and take enforcement action against anyone in breach of the conditions of their order. To prevent the spread of football-related violence outside the United Kingdom, the Football Banning Orders Authority requires banned individuals surrender their passport to nominated police stations before relevant overseas international and club matches. The Home Office continues to make funding available to support local police operations gathering evidence and seeking football banning orders against persons who have been involved in football-related violence or disorder matches.

Human Trafficking

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions (a) she and (b) the Minister for Immigration have had with the Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice on human trafficking in the UK.

Mark Harper: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues and others as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Immigrants: English Language

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to ensure that immigrants are proficient in spoken and written English.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 June 2013
	The ability to speak and understand English is key to integrating successfully into British society. Migrants applying to come to the UK to work or study under the Points Based System are required to demonstrate English language skills. The requirements were raised in April 2011. The minimum required varies according to route of entry but generally is at least equivalent to B1 (intermediate level) on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. At B1 level, users will be able to express opinions, understand factual reports in a newspaper and write accurate notes of a meeting.
	Since November 2010, those seeking to come to the UK as partners of a British citizen or person settled here must demonstrate, as a minimum, basic speaking and listening skills at A1 of the Common European Framework. At A1 level, speakers are expected to be able to answer simple factual questions and understand basic instructions.
	Migrants applying for indefinite leave to remain or for naturalisation as British citizens must demonstrate knowledge of language and life in the UK. From October 2013, this requirement will be strengthened to require applicants both to pass the Life in the UK test and to have speaking and listening skills at a minimum of B1 (intermediate level on the Common European Framework of Reference). Further details were published on 8 April 2013 in a Statement of Intent, which is available in the House Library and at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/knowledge-of-language-and-life-in-the-uk-for-settlement-and-naturalisation-statement-of-intent

Immigration

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of primary immigration was from (a) Somalia, (b) Congo, (c) Pakistan, (d) India, (e) Iraq, (f) Afghanistan and (g) Nigeria in the last year for which figures are available.

Mark Harper: The Home Office publishes data disaggregated by both visa type and by country.
	The latest quarter's publication can be found in the Library of the House and on the following website:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2013

Immigration

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases a month on average a caseworker completes for (a) tier 1 (general), (b) spouse visas, (c) naturalisation, (d) FLR(O) discretionary leave and (e) long residency.

Mark Harper: holding answer 10 June 2013
	The Home Office does not hold information in a format that enables all aspects of this question to be answered readily. While I am providing data on caseworker productivity for tier 1 general and spouse/partner applications, the information for the other types of cases is not disaggregated to the level requested and cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
	This information is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			 Table 1: Temporary migration caseworker productivity, 1 April to 2 June 2013 
			 Cases 
			  Average completed per caseworker per day Estimated monthly equivalent 
			 Tier 1—General 6.32 136 
			 Spouse/partner 3.17 68 
			 HR/Complex casework 2.24 48 
			 Notes: 1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants and dependants. 3. Figures relate to postal applications only. 4. Figures relate to Temporary Migration applications despatched between 1 April and 2 June 2013. 5. Monthly equivalent estimate based on five days per week and 4.3 weeks per month. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Permanent migration caseworker productivity, 1 April to 2 June 2013 
			 Cases 
			  Average completed per caseworker per day Estimated monthly equivalent 
			 Nationality 10.78 232 
			 Notes: 1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to main applicants only. 3. Figures relate to postal applications only. 4. Figures relate to Permanent Migration nationality applications despatched between 1 April and 2 June 2013. 5. Monthly equivalent estimate based on five days per week and 4.3 weeks per month.

Immigration

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reconsideration requests were received by the UK Border Agency in respect of refusal decisions for each category of decision except entry clearance decisions in each of the last two years for which figures are available; and what proportion were outstanding after (i) six months and (ii) 12 months.

Mark Harper: Information on a request for reconsideration is only held at the level of co-ordinated paper case files, or within the notes section of an individual's records in the Home Office's Case Information Database, until a decision is taken upon the request. Consequently, the Home Office is unable to report on the number of reconsideration requests received, or the number outstanding, without incurring disproportionate costs.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by her Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought.

James Brokenshire: The information is not readily available and we would have to interrogate a huge number of files to identify the highest amounts paid in each of the three calendar years. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

James Brokenshire: Our enterprise resource planning system is unable to separate Queen's Counsel legal advice from external legal advice. The information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by her Department since 7 May 2010 was.

James Brokenshire: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Radicalism

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives funded by the Government are in place to prevent radicalisation in the UK.

James Brokenshire: Under the Government's Prevent Strategy, which aims to prevent people becoming or supporting terrorists, a number of initiatives are funded by Government to prevent radicalisation in the UK:
	A network of co-ordinators in priority local authority work with community organisations, agencies and Departments, and support delivery of Prevent programmes. These include training for frontline staff, community outreach, and community based campaigns that rebut terrorist and extremist propaganda and offer alternative views to vulnerable individuals. Over 80 locally based projects were approved in 2012.
	A specialist police unit that assesses internet content against the criteria set out in our terrorism legislation and collaborates with industry to remove or filter illegal content from the internet.
	The Channel programme offers mentoring and practical support to help vulnerable young people disengage from extremist causes in England and Wales.
	Support to sectors and institutions that may be targeted by radicalisers, or which have an important role to play in challenging terrorism and violent extremism.
	Over 200 Prevent engagement officers connect counter-terrorism policing, neighbourhood policing and communities.
	We report on the performance of Contest, the UK's counter terrorism strategy, of which Prevent is a part, annually. The latest Contest annual report was published on 26 March 2013 and has been placed in the House Library.

Regulation

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what processes her Department has put in place to (a) monitor, (b) collate cost information on, (c) review and (d) respond to requests to amend or revoke regulations introduced by her Department.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) In accordance with Government policy, the Home Office publishes impact assessments which detail the costs and benefits for all major new measures and any measures that impact the private sector.
	(b) The Home Office collates cost information through its contribution to the cross Government Statement of New Regulation. This is the publication used for monitoring new regulations and collating cost information. The most recent Statement can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fifth-statement-of-new-regulation-sonr
	(c) As part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge, the descriptions of a number of Home Office regulations have been placed on the Red Tape Challenge website for comment by the public. Requests to amend regulations resulting from this exercise are then considered and the resulting conclusions placed on the website.
	(d) The Red Tape Challenge website publishes its responses to requests to amend or revoke regulation. The Red Tape Challenge website can be found at:
	http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/home/index/

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what her Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

James Brokenshire: There is no separate budget for ministerial travel; instead this is funded through several different budgets depending on the type of transport used and the reason for travel. It is not possible therefore to provide a budget for ministerial travel from 2013-2016 or for each year of the current Parliament.
	The Home Office ministerial transparency returns detail costs for overseas ministerial visits.
	Costing for Government Car Services are published in an annual written ministerial statement, these can be located at:
	2009/10:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm101028/wmstext/101028m0001.htm#10102827000372
	2010/11:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201212/cmhansrd/cm120116/wmstext/120116m0001.htm#12011611000194
	2010/12:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmhansrd/cm121220/wmstext/121220m0001.htm#12122056000216
	Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and Civil Service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Brandon Lewis: There are currently no personnel seconded to the Department for Communities and Local Government from any of the big four accountancy firms.

Emergency Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the potential for improved service levels and cost savings from enabling local fire and rescue services to take over responsibilities for emergency ambulance response red 1 and red 2.

Brandon Lewis: My Department has made no assessment of any improvement in service levels or cost savings which might arise from enabling local fire and rescue services to take over the responsibilities for emergency ambulance response red 1 and red 2. Notwithstanding, Sir Ken Knight's recent review recommended greater collaboration between the blue light services.

Fire Services

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of financial and other impediments arising from historical PFI arrangements to the achievement of efficiencies in the fire and rescue service.

Brandon Lewis: This Department, along with fire and rescue authorities with private finance initiative operational projects, is seeking operational savings and efficiencies as part of the Government's Operational Private Finance Initiative Savings programme. As part of this work the Government has commissioned the organisation, Local Partnerships to assess the potential savings and efficiencies to help fire and rescue authorities to deliver these.

Non-domestic Rates

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effect of business rates on shop vacancy rates; what his policy is on business rates; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis: We keep all taxes under review and have already taken action on business rates. We have made it easier for small firms to get the small business rate relief to which they are entitled. Our reforms in the Localism Act 2011 ensure all eligible ratepayers can automatically receive the small business multiplier, and we have removed the legal red tape requiring ratepayers to fill in significant paperwork to claim the relief. The last Administration failed to support simplification to help small firms when they were in office—6 March 2009, Official Report, columns 1141-42.
	In turn, we have also doubled small business rate relief scheme, to help half a million small firms. From October 2010 to April 2014, small firms are receiving 100% rate relief (ie pay no business rates at all) on properties up to £6,000 Rateable Value, and a tapered rate relief from £6,000 to £12,000. An estimated 330,000 small firms are paying no rates at all.
	The Localism Act also gives councils the power to introduce local discounts to business rates. Under the new system of local retention of business rates introduced by the Local Government Finance Act 2012, central Government now funds 50% of the cost of any local discount granted. We would encourage local authorities to make creative and constructive use of these new powers.

Street Trading

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will give consideration to increasing the powers of local police and local authorities to take legal action against pedlars who commit offences.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	This Department has recently consulted on reforms to the street trading and pedlary regime and the consultation responses are currently being analysed. The purpose of the reforms is to ensure compliance with the EU services directive.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Radio Frequencies

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what consideration her Department has given to sharing spectrum at 2.3GHz; and how soon she hopes to be able to share this spectrum.

Edward Vaizey: The spectrum at 2.3 GHz is currently managed by the Ministry of Defence. MOD plan to release around 40 MHz for sale or sharing as part of their contribution to our stated aim of releasing 500 MHz of sub-5 GHz public sector spectrum to new uses. Government is aware of the benefits of sharing spectrum as a most effective way to ensure efficient use of spectrum. Careful consideration is given to whether the spectrum should be released for new use or for sharing as both promote optimal use of spectrum and meet the target Government has set for release. When final decisions over this band have been taken we expect that MOD will publish details.

Skills Investment Fund

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when, and by what process, money allocated from the public purse in the 2012 Autumn Statement and 2013 Budget Statement will be distributed through the Skills Investment Fund.

Hugh Robertson: The autumn statement 2012 announced that Government will match fund industry contributions of up to £3 million in each year over the next two years to the Skills Investment Fund (SIF). In Budget 2013, this was increased to £8 million in each year. DCMS are in currently in discussion with Creative Skillset, the body responsible for administering the funds, to determine the process that money will be allocated to best support skills provision in the film, animation, television and video games sectors.

Sports

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information her Department holds on the proportion of the adult population that participated in 30 minutes of moderate or intensive sport once a week in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Hugh Robertson: Our latest Taking Part release showed that in January to December 2012 44.7% of adults participated in at least one session of 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport in the last week (including recreational walking and cycling).
	Data are available on the DCMS website in the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taking-part-2012-13-quarter-3-statistical-release

EDUCATION

Children in Care

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children's homes there are in each local authority in the UK.

Edward Timpson: The Secretary of State has responsibility for the children's homes in England only. At 31 March 2013 there were 2,050 children's homes in England.
	The 2,050 homes were made up of the following: children's homes (1,950); secure children's homes (16); and residential special schools registered as children's homes (84).
	A table providing the breakdown of children's homes by local authority has been placed in the Library(1). These data are collected and published by Ofsted.
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/official-statistics-childrens-social-care-providers-and-places

GCSE

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils in maintained schools achieved five or more GCSEs at grade C or above, including English and mathematics, (a) in London and (b) nationally excluding London in each year between 1998 and 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information is given in the table:
	
		
			 GCSE and equivalent results of pupils at the end of key stage 4—years: 1997-98 to 2011-12(1) (Final). Coverage: London and England (state-funded sector)(2) 
			  London(2) England (state-funded sector excluding London)(2) 
			  Number of end of key stage 4 pupils Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and Mathematics GCSEs(3) Number of end of key stage 4 pupils Percentage of pupils at the end of key stage 4 achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and Mathematics GCSEs(3) 
			 1997-98 65,512 32.4 462,026 34.2 
			 1998-99 66,173 33.9 467,557 36.2 
			 1999-2000 66,980 35.1 467,363 37.6 
			 2000-01 68,535 36.7 485,971 38.3 
			 2001-02 69,058 38.5 488,944 39.7 
			 2002-03 70,809 39.3 501,231 39.5 
			 2003-04(4) 73,397 41.0 516,699 40.3 
			 2004-05 72,921 43.1 510,344 42.3 
			 2005-06 74,142 45.8 518,343 43.9 
			 2006-07 74,304 48.0 524,463 45.6 
			 2007-08 73,362 50.7 522,444 48.0 
			 2008-09 73,721 54.0 502,700 50.5 
			 2009-10 74,253 58.0 501,718 54.9 
			 2010-11 74,229 61.9 490,634 57.8 
			 2011-12 74,534 62.3 484,545 58.5 
			 (1) Including attempts and achievements in previous academic years. (2) London and the England (state-funded sector) figures cover achievements in state-funded schools only. They do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas and so will not match with state-funded figures in the main key stage 4 Statistical First Release tables. (3) From 2009-10 iGCSEs, accredited at time of publication, have been counted as GCSE equivalents and also as English and mathematics GCSEs. (4) Percentages from 2003-04 include GCSEs and other equivalent qualifications approved for use pre-16. Source: Key Stage 4 attainment data

Headteachers: Resignations

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to prohibit the imposition of gagging orders on head teachers who leave their jobs when their school is required to become an academy.

David Laws: Compromise agreements are sometimes used when head teachers leave a school. They can be used by maintained schools as well as in cases where schools become academies. These agreements are voluntary and neither employer nor employees have to enter into them. While compromise agreements usually include a confidentiality clause, they cannot be used to suppress information such as that relating to pupil safety or to prevent someone from making a protected disclosure under whistleblowing arrangements. This position is made clear in the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Health

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what discussions he has had with UNICEF on the UK being 16th in its ranking of overall wellbeing amongst developed countries.

David Laws: I met representatives from UNICEF on 8 April to discuss their 11th report card, on child well-being.
	This Government is determined to end child poverty by tackling its root causes. Our major reforms to welfare and education include the pupil premium which is ensuring children from poorer backgrounds get the extra support they need to fulfil their potential. The introduction of universal credit will also help by simplifying the complex benefits system, encouraging work, and ensuring that families can get the benefits they are entitled to.

National Curriculum Tests

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of primary school pupils achieved Level 4 in both English and mathematics (a) in London and (b) nationally excluding London in each year between 2004 and 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: The requested information for the academic years 2006/07 to 2011/12 is given in the following table. Prior to the 2006/07 academic year the measure was not available.
	
		
			 Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above in both English(1) and mathematics in key stage(2) assessments, years: 2006/07 to 2011/12(2), coverage: London and England, state-funded schools(3) 
			  London(3) England, state-funded schools (excluding London)(3) 
			  Number of eligible pupils Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above Number of eligible pupils Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4 or above 
			 2006/07 78,884 71 490,154 71 
			 2007/08 80,260 73 498,192 73 
			 2008/09 79,056 73 485,890 72 
			 2009/10 55,004 76 352,003 74 
			 2010/11 79,154 77 465,473 74 
			 2011/12 78,729 82 456,334 79 
			 (1) In 2012, English was calculated from reading test results and writing teacher assessment rather than from reading and writing tests as in previous years. 2012 is, therefore, not comparable to previous years. (2) 2012 figures are based on revised data, all other figures are final data. 2007, 2011 and 2012 figures are produced from the National Pupil Database. Figures for all other years are produced from the Primary School Performance Tables data. (3) Figures include Academies and CTCs, but exclude hospital schools and pupil referral units. Source: National Pupil Database

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what payments were made by his Department and its executive agencies to PricewaterhouseCoopers between May 2006 and June 2007;
	(2)  what payments were made by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies to PricewaterhouseCoopers between June 2007 and May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Payments to PricewaterhouseCoopers over these periods were as follows:
	
		
			 Period £ 
			 May 2006 to June 2007 5,096,099 
			 June 2007 to May 2010 7,797,468 
		
	
	These payments covered a variety of goods and services. The Department did not have any executive agencies during this period.

Priority School Building Programme

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many contracts awarded to build schools through the Priority School Building Programme have used clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date; and what the estimated value of these contracts has been.

David Laws: No construction contracts awarded under the Priority School Building programme (PSBP) have used clauses in the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.
	The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 does not require or specify the inclusion of clauses within publicly procured contracts. In addition, section 1 of the Act is clear that the Act only applies to (a) services contracts or combined works/goods and services contracts and (b) contracts not .awarded under a framework.

Pupil Exclusions: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have been excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Dartford constituency and (ii) Kent during the last 10 years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the number of pupil enrolments with a permanent exclusion or with one or more fixed period exclusions in Dartford constituency, Kent local authority and England is shown in the following tables.
	Information has been provided for 2007/08 to 2010/11. To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	The most recent available data on exclusions was published in the “Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England” Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-and-fixed-period-exclusions-from-schools-in-england-academic-year-2010-to-2011
	
		
			 State-funded primary and state-funded secondary schools(1, 2,)( 3) number of permanent exclusions and number of pupils with one or more fixed period exclusion(4) 2007/08 to 2010/11(5)—England, Kent local authority and Dartford constituency 
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2007/08 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) 
			 England(7) 960 0.02 7,000 0.21 
			 Kent local authority 32 0.03 315 0.31 
			 Dartford constituency (9)— (9)— 14 0.17 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2008/09 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) 
			 England(7) 720 0.02 5,700 0.17 
			 Kent local authority 32 0.03 215 0.21 
			 Dartford constituency 0 0.00 9 0.11 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2009/10 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) 
			 England(7) 620 0.02 5,020 0.15 
			 Kent local authority 24 0.02 144 0.14 
			 Dartford constituency (9)— (9)— (9)— (9)— 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2010/11 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(6) 
			 England(7) 610 0.01 4,370 0.13 
			 Kent local authority 19 0.02 142 0.14 
			 Dartford constituency 0 0.00 —(9) —(9) 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2007/08 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) 
			 England(7) 22,460 0.55 176,160 5.36 
			 Kent local authority 665 0.61 6,860 6.80 
			 Dartford constituency 28 0.32 493 5.82 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2008/09 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) 
			 England(7) 20,640 0.51 167,910 5.13 
			 Kent local authority 635 0.58 6,197 6.19 
			 Dartford constituency 28 0.32 672 7.84 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2009/10 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) 
			 England(7) 19,400 0.47 154,470 4.75 
			 Kent local authority 649 0.60 5,704 5.74 
			 Dartford constituency 49 0.58 356 4.27 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2010/11 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Number of pupils expressed as a percentage of the school population(8) 
			 England(7) 19,730 0.48 148,900 4.6 
			 Kent local authority 634 0.58 6,027 6.05 
			 Dartford constituency 60 0.70 304 3.58 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (5) Figures relating to permanent exclusions for the years 2007/08 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (6) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (7) National figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. (8) The number of pupils who received a fixed period exclusion expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (9) Less than five, or a percentage based on less than five. Source: School Census

Schools: Assessments

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support will be available to dyslexic and dyspraxic students taking the new I-Level examinations; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: In March 2013, the Government published its GCSE Reform Equality Analysis, assessing the impact of GCSE Reform on pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
	There are various ways in which a young person with special educational needs and disabilities can be supported in exams and we expect these arrangements to continue when GCSEs are reformed. For example, reasonable adjustments can be put in place, such as extra time or supervised rest breaks. It will be for Ofqual, as the independent regulator, to monitor the arrangements made by Awarding Organisations for access, including reasonable adjustments, and assess whether they continue to be suitable for candidates taking reformed GCSEs, including dyslexic and dyspraxic students:
	http://tinyurl.com/equality-analysis

Stationery

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what office supplies his Department purchased in each year between 2005 and 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department purchases a range of office supplies including: stationery; books; newspapers; paper; publications; and office machine consumables. The costs of these are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2005-06 410,017 
			 2006-07 508,502 
			 2007-08 365,775 
			 2008-09 336,209 
			 2009-10 509,929

Teachers: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what (a) proportion and (b) number of initial teacher training places for 2013 allocated to (i) School Direct and (ii) higher education providers had been (A) offered and (B) accepted by applicants at 31 April 2013.

David Laws: Data relating to enrolment to higher education institutions is owned and held by the Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR). It publishes enrolment data, by provider, at the end of the enrolment cycle. This will include data on recruitment to School Direct.

Teachers: Training

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many places for initial teacher training starting in 2013 have been allocated to (a) School Direct and (b) higher education providers.

David Laws: The following table shows the initial-number of initial teacher training places initially allocated to schools via School Direct and directly to higher education providers by training route in academic year 2013/14(1).
	The 2013/14 allocations are subject to changes and final numbers for 2013/14 will be published shortly after the start of the academic year.
	
		
			  ITT provision Training route ITT places Total 
			 Academic year 2013/14 HE providers Post-graduate 19,513 26,307 
			   Undergraduate 6,794 — 
			  Schools School Direct training 5,849 9,441 
			   School Direct salaried 3,592 — 
		
	
	(1) ITT places for higher education providers for the academic year 2013/14 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/careers/traininganddevelopment/initial/b00204256/itt-funding-and-allocations/allocations

Trade Unions

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what payments were made to each trades union by (a) his Department and (b) his Department's executive agencies in each year since 2007.

Elizabeth Truss: Details of payments made by the Department and its executive agencies over the requested period are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Organisation £ 
			 2007-08 Trades Union Congress 12,353 
			  Public and Commercial Services Union 677 
			 2008-09 Trades Union Congress 2,919 
			 2009-10 National Union of Teachers 403 
			 2010-11 No payments were made 0 
			 2011-12 National Union of Teachers 601 
			 2012-13 National Union of Teachers 276

Trade Unions

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department were working for each trades union in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education recognises three trade unions: Public and Commercial Services (PCS); the FDA and Prospect.
	In 2007-08, the Department funded a total of seven full-time union posts; three of these were PCS posts and four on behalf of all unions. In 2008-09, the number of funded full-time posts reduced to five; two PCS posts and three on behalf of all unions. In 2009-10, the Department funded two full-time posts and two 0.5 full-time equivalent posts; 1.5 PCS posts and 1.5 on behalf of all unions.
	The Department does not hold records on the number of staff working on a part time basis for the unions during these years.

Training: Higher Education

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent assessment he has made of the potential benefits of providing initial training with universities.

David Laws: Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) continue to provide an important contribution to improving the quality of trained teachers within the reform of initial teacher training.
	In a school-led system, schools will lead the commissioning of tailored training from HEIs which is matched to their own needs. HEIs offer schools in-depth subject knowledge and access to research.
	Universities also have a key role in responding to the demands of school partnerships, supporting the increase in capability within alliances and contributing their own expertise in training the next generation of teachers.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bovine Tuberculosis

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department proposes to take to ensure that the badger culls will not be detrimental to the survival of the population concerned as required under Article 9 of the Bern Convention.

David Heath: We take our responsibilities under the Bern Convention very seriously. We responded fully to requests from the Bern Secretariat to set out the background to the badger control policy and the measures we have taken to ensure that some badgers remain in each of the control areas. These measures include setting a maximum on the number of badgers that can be removed from an area and limiting the number of licences that can be granted in any one year.
	The Bern Bureau Standing Committee met in September 2012 and decided that a complaint submitted to them, which denounced a possible breach of the convention, was to be dismissed. They concluded that the badger control policy “is within the obligation of the UK under the Convention and should not cause a threat to the population if the monitoring is carried out properly”.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  by what criteria his Department will assess the humaneness of the badger cull;
	(2)  whether the method of free shooting to cull badgers has been abandoned on grounds of (a) safety and (b) humaneness.

David Heath: The two culling methods to be permitted are cage-trapping (followed by shooting) and controlled shooting. To ensure an acceptable level of safety and humaneness, operators will be required to follow best practice guidelines, and undertake training and competence testing.
	Independent monitoring will be undertaken to assess the humaneness, along with the effectiveness and safety, of controlled shooting during the pilots. The design of this monitoring has been overseen by an independent panel of experts, who have advised on the appropriate methods for monitoring, which will include field observations and post mortems. Further details of the monitoring protocols are available online at the following link and I have also placed copies in the Library of the House:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/bovine-tb/badgers/badger-culling-pilots/
	The independent panel will evaluate the reports from the monitoring before reporting back to Government. Ministers will then decide whether or not the policy should be rolled out more widely.

Dangerous Dogs

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were attacked by each breed of dog in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what recent consideration his Department has given to expanding the register of prohibited dogs.

David Heath: There is no central record of dog attacks by separate breed. The Government has no plans to add more types of dogs to the list of prohibited type dogs. This position is supported by all key stakeholders.

Environment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on the proportion of people who accessed the natural environment at least once a week in each year for which data is available.

Richard Benyon: Natural England has commissioned surveys in each of the last three years on the number of people in England who access the natural environment. The most recent findings of the survey are included in Natural England's report entitled “Monitor of Engagement with the Natural Environment: The national survey on people and the natural environment annual report from the 2011-12 survey” (Natural England Commissioned Reports NECR094)
	These surveys show the following figures on the proportion of the English population accessing the natural environment at least once a week:
	
		
			  Population accessing natural environment at least once a week (Percentage) 
			 2009-10 54 
			 2010-11 53 
			 2011-12 55

Hydrofluorocarbons

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will make it his policy to ban HFCs in new equipment placed on the market where safe, energy-efficient, cost-effective and technically feasible alternative technologies have been proven and are available.

Richard Benyon: The Government supports further proportionate regulation of the use of fluorinated gases to combat rising global emissions. We want to encourage the move towards more climate-friendly alternatives to high global warming potential fluorinated gases where technically and economically feasible alternatives are available, and where their use would result in lower overall greenhouse gas emissions.
	In principle, we support a phase-down in availability of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) as the most suitable new measure to deliver significant reductions in HFC use. A phase-down would allow flexibility for end users to take account of factors such as indirect emissions from energy use when deciding what type of alternative to use. Users and producers of equipment facing a restricted supply of HFCs will switch to alternative technologies where this is feasible.
	There may be opportunities for additional measures to support and signpost a phase-down and further reduce the use of high global warming potential HFCs in some sectors. This could include specific bans, but these would have to be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis. Such consideration would have to take into account the potential of any other regulatory approaches, as well as whether safe, energy-efficient, cost-effective and technically feasible alternative technologies have been proven and are available.

Marine Conservation Zones

Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department will take to ensure that his Department's Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies adhere to good practice in data management and work to agreed data standards, including the application of metadata and version control to MEDIN standards, when working on proposals for marine conservation zones.

Richard Benyon: Non-departmental public bodies, such as statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs), operate with a degree of independence according to their own particular governance arrangements and are accountable for their own processes, conduct and decisions. They are also responsible for ensuring that their data management standards comply with Government and EU guidance. SNCBs' quality assurance of their evidence and advice is provided primarily by specialist staff, often working in partnership with external experts or bodies. Overview of the quality of the evidence, and the way it is used, is the responsibility of their executive directors, supported by senior staff and external non-executive groups. For Natural England, responsibility lies with the Executive Director of Science and Evidence, supported by an external Scientific Advisory Committee. For the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), responsibility lies with the Director of Marine Evidence, supported by the external JNCC Marine Protected Area (MPA) Sub-Group for MPA-related matters.
	JNCC and Natural England followed their own guidance for ‘Levels of evidence required for the identification, designation and management of Marine Conservation Zones’, which included an audit of the data that have been provided to the regional marine conservation zone (MCZ) projects based on the MEDIN discovery metadata standards. These data can be found on the Natural England website.
	JNCC and Natural England also provided guiding principles for ownership, use and custodianship of data for the MCZ project, which stated that ‘MEDIN discovery metadata must be completed and made available for all data’. Natural England and JNCC manage their marine data to MEDIN standards; the data they are using for their advice to Government on the proposed marine conservation zones contain metadata that is MEDIN and EU INSPIRE directive compliant. This is published alongside the datasets.

Marine Protected Areas

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made by the EU task force established to implement the Rio+20 decision on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in high seas marine protected areas.

Richard Benyon: The UK is committed to the negotiation of a new implementing agreement under the UN convention on the law of the sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity, in particular addressing marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments.
	The UK has therefore been taking an active part in the EU task forces which were set up following Rio+20 in preparation for the United Nations inter-sessional workshops which took place recently on 2-3 and 6-7 May.
	These workshops provided useful information to member states on the different approaches that could be used in any future implementing agreement. The UK Government believes these workshops underlined the necessity for positive decision on a new Implementing Agreement to be made before the end of the 69(th) Session of the UN General Assembly in accordance with the outcome of Rio +20.

Ragwort: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he is having with the Highways Agency and local authorities to ensure that ragwort is removed from Shropshire roads and destroyed.

Richard Benyon: In February 2013 I wrote to over 500 public bodies, including the Highways Agency and Shropshire council, reminding them of their responsibilities in relation to the Weeds Act (1959) and the Code of Practice on Preventing Ragwort Spread (2003). I have placed a copy of this letter in the House Library.
	Natural England has responsibility for investigating complaints about ragwort and for taking the appropriate enforcement action. The expectation is that all public bodies will adhere to the code of practice and we remain committed to working in partnership with these bodies to ensure the code is understood and applied.
	DEFRA takes its responsibilities under the Weeds Act seriously and we are committed to tackling ragwort wherever it poses a threat.

World Environment Day

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department took to mark World Environment Day on 5 June 2013.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA worked with Natural England and the Waste and Resources Action programme to develop a coordinated social media response to World Environment Day. This included the creation of a food waste infographic that was distributed through Twitter and Facebook.
	DEFRA also produced a factsheet, with the help of the Office for National Statistics, the devolved administrations and relevant arm's-length bodies, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/world-environment-day-factsheet-2013
	A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bahrain

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the level of trades union freedom in Bahrain.

Alistair Burt: Trade unions do exist in Bahrain, for example, under the initiative of HM the King in 2002 the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions was created with trade unions from a number of different sectors.
	We have been made aware of concerns regarding the Bahrain Teachers Association. Trade unions can play a useful role in a democratic society, and we encourage their constructive contribution towards the reform process in Bahrain.

Capita

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department currently spends on contracts with Capita; and how much was spent in each year since 2008.

David Lidington: Our contract spend with Capita in 2012-13 was £520,000. In 2011-12 the spend was £26,105 and in 2010-11 it was £28,857. The figures for previous years are not available online and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. Since January 2011, central Government Departments have been required to publish on Contracts Finder information on the contracts they award:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	In addition, Departments publish details of spend in excess of £25,000.

Colombia

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the recent death threats made against members of the Colombian oil workers union USO; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We have not received any direct reports of recent death threats against members of the Colombian oil workers union USO. Our embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor threats against members of trade unions in Colombia, and will ask the National Protection Unit what actions have been taken in this case.

Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent correspondence and meetings have taken place between his Department and the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights; and if he will place such correspondence and the minutes of such meetings in the Library.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have regular contact with the UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights. Letters sent by the Special Rapporteur to all Governments, including letters to the British Government, and those Governments' responses, are published in his annual Communications to and from Governments report.
	I have placed his most recent Communications to and from Governments report in the Library of the House. Electronic copies can be found at:
	http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Terrorism/Pages/Annual.aspx

Guinea

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to invite the president of Guinea to London.

Mark Simmonds: President Alpha Conde has accepted the Prime Minister's invitation to attend the G8 Meeting on Tax, Trade and Transparency in London on 15 June.

Guinea

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Guinean counterpart about alleged police brutality in the run-up to the June elections in that country.

Mark Simmonds: We are deeply concerned about the recent violence in Conakry. We have raised the specific issue of police conduct with the Foreign Minister and with the head of the Gendarmerie. We are encouraged by President Conde's announcement of a commission to investigate the reasons for the recent violence. We are supporting a new EU police reform project, launched on 5 June, aimed at restoring trust between the police and the Guinea people.

India

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to protect the interests of UK citizens residing and owning property in Goa.

Hugo Swire: Our high commissioner and the consular team in India continue to meet groups of British nationals affected by property problems in order to understand the issues. the high commission works with the British Nationals' Property Working Group to build dialogue with the State Government of Goa. The high commissioner also raises property issues with the Indian authorities whenever there is an appropriate opportunity and expresses concern at the impact it is having on British nationals. He most recently spoke to the Chief Minister of Goa on this issue. This has led to the Chief Minister recently calling a meeting with the British Nationals' Property Working Group and consular officials to hear about the problems and issues firsthand. Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will also discuss this with the Indian High Commission in London. We will continue to work with both the Goa Government and the British Nationals' Property Working Group to try to find a mutually satisfactory resolution to this complex problem.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(3)  how much his Department spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012;
	(4)  what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by his Department since 7 May 2010 was.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and our network of diplomatic posts around the world require external legal advice on a wide range of issues, including both litigation (before national and international courts and tribunals) and non-contentious matters (including commercial and property matters). Records of this devolved expenditure, are not held centrally and therefore answers could be given only at disproportionate cost.
	The FCO has a central budget for external legal consultancy, which is primarily used for payments of external legal fees for litigation before UK courts. In the period 7 May 2010 to 4 September 2012, expenditure £4,208,812.50 was incurred from this budget; and since 4 September 2012 to date, the figure is £926,830.26.
	In terms of rates, the FCO will only instruct a QC to advise after having received a nomination from the Office of the Attorney-General, a process which requires us to agree the QC's hourly rate in advance. The hourly rates set by Treasury Solicitor's Department for QCs undertaking government work are between £180 and £250. We do not have a central record of all rates and therefore could not prepare a list of the highest day rates paid.

Libya

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions and for what purposes he has visited Libya in 2013.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has not visited Libya this year. I have visited Libya twice in the last six months, most recently on 5-6 June, and there have been a number of additional ministerial visits since the beginning of the year.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to discourage private sector organisations from trading with and investing in Israeli settlements.

Alistair Burt: When approached by British companies, we set out our clear position on settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—they are illegal, an obstacle to peace and make a negotiated two-state solution harder to achieve.
	International law does not impose obligations on corporations and for a British company to operate in, or trade with businesses in Israeli settlements, or to provide financial assistance to companies in settlements, is not, per se, contrary to UK law. However, the British Government expects British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally. We are developing a UK strategy on business and human rights—based on the UN Guiding Principles—which will be launched soon. As part of this we intend to place additional country-specific guidance on human rights issues in overseas markets on the Overseas Business Risk Service website. This will include guidance on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure that British corporations are aware of our clear position on the illegality of settlements, and our expectation that British companies respect human rights throughout their operations.

Occupied Territories

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide UK businesses operating in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with guidelines for responsible business conduct in accordance with human rights.

Alistair Burt: When approached by British companies, we set out our clear position on settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories—they are illegal, an obstacle to peace and make a negotiated two-state solution harder to achieve.
	International law does not impose obligations on corporations and for a British company to operate in, or trade with businesses in Israeli settlements, or to provide financial assistance to companies in settlements, is not, per se, contrary to UK law. However, the British Government expects British companies to show respect for human rights in their operations in the UK and internationally. We are developing a UK strategy on business and human rights—based on the UN Guiding Principles—which will be launched soon. As part of this we intend to place additional country-specific guidance on human rights issues in overseas markets on the Overseas Business Risk Service website. This will include guidance on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure that British corporations are aware of our clear position on the illegality of settlements, and our expectation that British companies respect human rights throughout their operations.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in NHS accident and emergency departments and were recommended for hospital admission but were sent home because no bed was available in (a) 2010, (b) 2011, (c) 2012 and (d) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected. Patients should be treated as soon as clinically appropriate, and no patient should be discharged from hospital unless a clinician determines that it is appropriate to do so.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted for emergency dental treatment from accident and emergency departments in England in each quarter since April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested.
	Finished admission episodes for accident and emergency, where the consultant main specialty was dentistry, for the period requested, are in the following table:
	
		
			 Finished admission episodes where the admission was via accident and emergency (A&E), and where the consultant main specialty was recorded as dentistry in each quarter since April 2009: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			 Year Quarter Total A&E admissions under ‘Dental’ consultants by quarter 
			 2009-10 Q1 5,385 
			  Q2 5,373 
			  Q3 5,002 
			  Q4 4,557 
			    
			 2010-11 Q1 5,441 
			  Q2 5,635 
			  Q3 5,084 
			  Q4 5,125 
			    
			 2011-12 Q1 5,929 
			  Q2 5,891 
			  Q3 5,465 
			  Q4 5,071 
			 Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's Human Resources Information System does not hold information on the organisations from which staff are seconded into the Department. To extract this information from local directorate records would incur disproportionate costs.
	Staff seconded into the Department are normally from the national health service, and they are appointed to provide relevant specialism and clinical expertise not available in the Department, for a fixed project or activity.

Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how cancer strategic clinical networks will involve patients and the public in their work.

Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for strategic clinical networks (SCNs), including cancer networks.
	SCNs will work on the guiding principle of engaging patients and the public in all their work. NHS England is developing an approach to ensure that public and patient involvement is effective.
	Other organisations, particularly those from social care and the voluntary sector, will also be important partners in strategic clinical networks.

Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to measure and improve poor care experienced by certain groups of cancer patients in hospitals;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to measure cancer patients' experience of integrated care and support.

Anna Soubry: NHS England and NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ), the new NHS Improvement body, are responsible for ensuring that experience of care is central to commissioning and care delivery.
	The Department holds NHS England to account through both the Mandate and the NHS Outcomes Framework.
	The Mandate requires NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to patients' experience of care, including cancer care.
	A new Outcomes Framework indicator based on improving people's experience of integrated care is currently in development.
	It is anticipated that national and trust level reports of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2012-12 will be published in summer 2013. The results of the Survey will continue to support the improvement of the local national health service.
	NHS IQ will be working on the design and testing of an improvement framework for engaging, involving and improving experience of care, a capability building programme for commissioners and providers, and specific interventions to improve experience, such as the NHS Friends and Family Test.
	The National Cancer Peer Review Programme assesses the extent to which cancer patients are being provided with integrated care and support. It assesses whether a team is able to demonstrate that it is a properly constituted and functioning multi-disciplinary team and that it has effective systems for providing coordinated care to individual patients.

Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in the UK reported a long-term illness or disability in each year for which figures are available.

Norman Lamb: This information is not available in the format requested.
	The Third edition of the Long Term Conditions Compendium of Information, published in 2012 by the Department of Health, suggests that there are over 15 million people in England who are living with one or more long term conditions. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The Office for Disability Issues set out in August 2012 that there are 11.2 million disabled people in Great Britain, of whom 5.2 million are adults of working age, 5.2 million are over state pension age and 0.8 million are children.
	Due to the definitions of 'long term conditions' and 'disability' used, there will be some overlap between the figures for the number of people with a long term condition and the number of people with a disability.

Diabetes

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the data contained within the NHS Diabetes website will be protected once the work of NHS Diabetes comes to a close; [R]
	(2)  what plans he has for the future of the NHS Diabetes website; [R]
	(3)  if he will allow a non-governmental body to take over ownership of the NHS Diabetes website; [R]
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the value of the data held on the NHS Diabetes website; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Anna Soubry: NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) has taken over the functions of NHS Diabetes.
	Decisions about ownership and archiving of information which is currently on the NHS Diabetes website are a matter for NHS IQ. It is currently reviewing the legacy websites of the organisations for which it has inherited functions, including the NHS Diabetes website, and is in the process of transferring many of the tools and resources from these sites to the new NHS IQ website, which is expected to be launched shortly.
	Final decisions about archiving the content of the NHS Diabetes website have yet to be taken.
	No formal assessment of the value of the data held on the NHS Diabetes website has been undertaken.

Epilepsy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to reduce epilepsy-related deaths;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the adequacy of data on epilepsy-related deaths for informing the development of policy to tackle epilepsy mortality;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy;
	(4)  if he will meet representatives of SUDEP Action to discuss that organisation's work on sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Norman Lamb: Reducing premature mortality is a priority for this Government.
	The Department's Mandate and NHS Outcomes Framework sets out the improvements in health and health care outcomes that we envisage the national health service to achieve.
	The Mandate includes objectives for NHS England to make measurable progress towards reducing unnecessary deaths, including those from epilepsy.
	A key element to improving outcomes and tackling premature mortality is having the correct data to improve understanding and inform actions.
	Local commissioners are responsible for the provision of services for local populations and may undertake awareness initiatives, if appropriate.
	There are currently no plans to run a national campaign to raise awareness of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

General Practitioners

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints his Department received from people having difficulty making a timely appointment with their GP in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Norman Lamb: The Department does not hold records of complaints centrally. General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors and, as such, the arrangements for appointments are a matter for individual GP practices. However, if a patient is not happy with the arrangements at their practice, they may raise a formal complaint.
	Under the NHS complaints procedure, patients may raise a complaint either with their GP practice or they may ask NHS England to investigate (prior to April 2013 this role was the responsibility of primary care trusts (PCTs)).
	Information on the number of written complaints overall is collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The latest data available are reproduced as follows:
	
		
			 General practice (including dental) health services : Written complaints by subject of complaint(1,2), 2009-10 to 2011-12, England 
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 All subjects of complaint(1) 48,271 49,275 53,590 
			     
		
	
	
		
			 Communications/attitude 11,677 11,360 11,650 
			 Premises 773 681 650 
			 Practice/surgery management 5,766 5,050 5,210 
			 General practice administration 7,673 8,055 9,924 
			 Clinical 16,300 17,465 19,336 
			 Other 6,082 6,664 6,820 
			     
			 Total organisations approached for data 152 151 154 
			 Of which incomplete returns(2) 18 29 36 
			 (1) A complaint can be made concerning more than one subject area. Where this has occurred, some PCTs have recorded a complaint under each subject area contained within the complaint letter received. (2) Information from some PCTs state they did not receive returns for some practices within their area and so have submitted incomplete data. Note: Data as at 1 April to 31 March each year Source. K041b

General Practitioners

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP surgeries offered extended hours in the evenings and at weekends in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; and how many are currently doing so.

Anna Soubry: Information on extended opening hours has not been collected centrally since 2009.
	The Government's view is that general practitioners (GPs) must respond to their patients about the care they deliver, and it believes that GP opening hours should be determined locally, in line with the wishes and preferences of their patients.

Health

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the proportion of people in the UK who were somewhat, mostly or completely satisfied with their health in each year for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: Public Health England (PHE) runs a Lifecourse tracker survey twice a year that asks people about their health. The September 2012 wave shows that 68% of the public feel it is good or very good. The equivalent figure in the March 2012 wave was also 68%. The percentage varies by age, as you would expect. The full results for the March 2012 wave can be found on the health pages of GOV.UK. The Lifecourse tracker survey was conducted by the Department from March 2012 until April 2013 when it moved to PHE. PHE will continue to monitor the public's perception of individual health.

Midwives

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what analysis his Department has undertaken to assess the effectiveness of midwife services in the UK.

Daniel Poulter: This Government is committed to improving choice of place of birth, continuity of care and women's experience of care. It is important for all women to be able to give birth in a safe, high quality environment that is best suited to their needs.
	The mandate from the Government to Health Education England: April 2013- March 2015, states that Health Education England should work with NHS England and others to ensure that sufficient midwives, and other maternity staff, are trained and available to provide every woman with personalised one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period.
	From October 2013, every woman will be able to give feedback on the quality of the maternity care they receive across the whole maternity pathway through the Friends and Family Test. This test will help drive up standards and make sure maternity care is truly focused on what mothers and families want by showing where women are experiencing good care and where maternity services need to improve.
	In addition, the Care Quality Commission is conducting the third national survey of women's experience of maternity care in England with results, identifying what is working well and what needs to improve, expected later this year.
	Since May 2010 the number of midwives has increased by nearly 1,400 to give the care that women need and deserve before, during and after childbirth.

NHS 111

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the 111 telephone service on emergency care and accident and emergency services.

Anna Soubry: NHS 111 is now available in around 90% of England, and it is planned that NHS 111 will be rolled out to the rest of England during the summer. Performance has improved during recent weeks, with the majority of areas now meeting performance targets. However some providers continue to fail to meet the standards set, especially at weekends.
	NHS England is keeping performance under constant review and is working with commissioners and providers to make improvements. NHS England Area Teams have been keeping a close oversight of the issues and are supporting local Clinical Commissioning Groups and individual providers to ensure the service improves. NHS England has close monitoring arrangements, including where necessary daily, and also reports weekly on performance to the Secretary of State for Health.
	NHS England will also be undertaking a full review of NHS 111 service to ensure it is fit for the future and are collecting data to monitor impact on emergency service demand. In addition, the Urgent and Emergency Care Review being led by Sir Bruce Keogh, will look in depth at the system of emergency care and how we ensure that it provides the care patients need, from the right people, in the right place.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many NHS Walk-In centres have closed in England since 2010;
	(2)  how many NHS Walk-In centres have closed in the south-west since 2010.

Anna Soubry: No information on walk-in centre closures is held centrally.
	Since 2007, the local national health service has been responsible for NHS walk-in centres. Clinical commissioning groups, overseen by NHS England, are responsible for commissioning walk-in centres based on an assessment of local need.

NHS: Databases

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on data sharing within the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's published information strategy for health and social care, the ‘Power of Information’, sets the framework and a route map to lead a transformation in the way information is collected and used at its core and the development of the ability to share data with patients.
	NHS England's planning guidance ‘Everyone Counts: Planning for Patients 2013/14’ outlined several commitments on data sharing including every patient given the opportunity of online access to their own primary care medical record by spring 2015 and in 2013, consultation on plans for the provision of patient access to interoperable records across the pathway of care.
	Additionally, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is developing a code of practice (as required by the Health and Social Care Act) to be published shortly. It will set out how confidential data should be used and shared appropriately to support care of patients and service users while protecting their confidentiality. This will take into account the independent review ‘Information: To Share Or Not To Share?’, led by Dame Fiona Caldicott which was published on 26 April 2013 and set out how best to balance the need to keep patient information secure with the need to share it among health and care professionals. The Government will respond to the review recommendation over the summer.

Prescriptions

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to allow pharmacists and practice nurses to diagnose and prescribe medicines for minor conditions.

Norman Lamb: Nurse independent prescribing was first enabled throughout England in 1999 and pharmacist independent prescribing was introduced from 2006. Nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers can currently prescribe any medicine for any medical condition within their competence, while community practitioner nurse prescribers prescribe from a limited formulary of medicines, appliances and dressings. Nurse and pharmacist' prescribers work in a wide range of health care settings, diagnosing and treating patients with a variety of conditions, including minor ailments.

Strokes

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what comparative assessment he has made of the performance of (a) the UK, (b) the EU and (c) the US with regard to (i) mortality and (ii) morbidity and disability in stroke outcomes;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the findings of the 2011 NHS Atlas of Variation on (a) the number of patients who experience transient ischaemic attack who are treated within 24 hours and (b) the number of patients admitted to hospital following a stroke who spend 90 per cent of their time in a specialised stroke unit.

Anna Soubry: NHS England is responsible for stroke services.
	The Government's Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy acknowledges that the Global Burden of Disease study has demonstrated that the United Kingdom does not perform well compared with a range of similar countries in terms of mortality and disability from CVD. No assessment has been made of the findings of the 2011 NHS Atlas of Variation on the number of patients who experience transient ischaemic attack (TIA) who are treated within 24 hours and the number of patients admitted to hospital following a stroke who spend 90% of their time in a specialised stroke unit. However, the CVD Outcomes Strategy acknowledges that there is variation across the country in the quality of services that stroke survivors receive.
	The CVD Outcomes Strategy sets out key actions for commissioners and providers to improve outcomes in stroke and other CVDs and challenges the national health service to bring CVD outcomes up to the level of the best of the rest of the world.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Gulf States

Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to create development partnerships with Gulf states.

Alan Duncan: We work very closely with Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the Islamic Development Bank, whose generosity and increasingly structured development assistance are a great asset We have a development partnership with the United Arab Emirates which includes responding to the crisis in Syria by supporting the educational needs of children in a UAE funded refugee camp in Jordan. We are working with the Saudi Government through the Friends of Yemen initiative which generated $7.8 billion of pledges to support Yemen's development. We also have a DFID staff member seconded to the Islamic Development Bank to build our understanding of what makes effective development.

Rana Plaza Building

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to people in Bangladesh affected by the Rana Plaza building collapse.

Alan Duncan: We are supporting victims of the Rana Plaza collapse through our funding to the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed.
	We are monitoring the provision of help to the victims and their families through NGOs, the Government, garment manufacturers associations and the brands involved. I urged for co-ordinated action and pledged more UK support if needed when I met the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister of Labour in Bangladesh last week.

Modern-day Slavery

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her policy is on identifying and tackling modern-day slavery in countries which her Department provides aid.

Lynne Featherstone: DFID works to tackle the underlying factors which put people at risk of becoming victims of slavery, such as poverty, lack of education, lack of economic opportunities, vulnerability to economic shocks, and social exclusion.

Pension Payments: Zimbabwe

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the potential effects of withholding aid from Zimbabwe until the Zimbabwean Government restart pension payments to entitled UK citizens.

Lynne Featherstone: Our aid programme to Zimbabwe is driven by the needs of people living in poverty in Zimbabwe. We do not give any funds directly to the Government of Zimbabwe whose responsibility it is to pay pensions for former public servants.
	I sympathise with their situation, but the UK has no legal obligation for their pensions. My colleagues in the FCO continue to raise the issue with Zimbabwean Ministers.

Palestinians

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment her Department has made of the humanitarian situation in Gaza; and if she will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The situation in Gaza is both tragic and unsustainable. 90% of drinking water does not meet international standards and 44% of the population are vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger. Easing restrictions is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but firmly in Israel's security interests.

Syria

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the UNRWA supported by British aid funds in directing aid to assist supported Palestinian refugees who have fled Syria for Lebanon. [R]

Justine Greening: United Nations Relief Works Agency (UNRWA) estimates that at present there are 57,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria in Lebanon. These are additional to the 235,000 displaced Palestinian refugees in Syria and 6,000 in Jordan.
	The UNRWA has provided cash assistance to more than 215,000 refugees in 2013 so far, as well as supplying food and relief packages, and maintaining education, health and social services. To support the UNRWA's work, the UK is providing £5 million to support over 350,000 newly-displaced Palestinian refugees in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, through food parcels and relief items.

JUSTICE

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Helen Grant: Staff are not seconded to the MOJ from the four organisations.

Civil Proceedings

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many litigants in person there were in civil cases in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: The county court case management system used by the Ministry of Justice for statistical analysis holds information on the volume of cases progressing through the county court system as well as the workload of county courts in England and Wales.
	The case management system holds data regarding the legal representation of persons in civil cases, but the number of litigants in person there were in civil cases is not currently centrally collated. We are currently considering options for collating this information.

Confiscation Orders: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice of the declared available amount in confiscation orders made in Kent by Crown courts, how much has been recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in (a) Dartford constituency and (b) Kent.

Helen Grant: Details of confiscation orders are only recorded on databases at county area level, therefore we are unable to provide specific information for Dartford. The details for Kent are as follows:
	There are 1,343 confiscation orders, made under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002, within Kent. Of those orders, 1,062 (79%) have been paid in full of all granted confiscation orders in Kent.
	The total value of these orders is £57,271,448. The total amount recovered within Kent under the POCA legislation is £22,689,241. Of the £34,582,207 outstanding, £21,945,696 (63%) relates to just nine confiscation orders.
	Of the 1,343 confiscation orders, 32 (7%) have a total value of £3,953,976 where the time to pay has not expired and are not in default of payment.
	HMCTS takes the issue of confiscation enforcement very seriously. Over the last four consecutive years the amount recovered, including payments to victims of crime has increased year on year. HMCTS continually looks at new ways ensure that defendants pay their confiscation orders in full, including securing the debt against any properties that the defendant may have.

Driving Offences: Sentencing

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the maximum length of sentence for those who cause death while driving whilst disqualified; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: The maximum penalty for causing death by disqualified driving is two years custody. We keep all offences and penalties under review. That is why we introduced the new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, which carries a five year maximum prison sentence. This was commenced in December last year, and specifically targets those cases where dangerous driving results in serious injury. The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has asked the Sentencing Council to look at their guidelines on causing death by driving, and we are considering whether further changes may be necessary to strengthen the law where driving offences have tragic consequences.

Homicide

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to ensure that sentencing guidelines in cases of murder and partial defences to murder reflect the time taken for young witnesses to recover from psychological trauma.

Jeremy Wright: Sentencing guidelines already provide that the presence of others, for example children or the partner of the victim, during the commission of any offence is an aggravating factor. The sentence would, accordingly, be made more severe.

Judicial Review

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what type of claims for judicial review were made in each of the last three years.

Helen Grant: There were 11,359 applications for judicial review lodged in 2011, 10,545 in 2010 and 9,092 in 2009. The breakdown by type is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Judicial review applications in 2009 to 2011 
			 By nature of review Total applications lodged 2011 Total applications lodged 2010 Total applications lodged 2009 
			 Civil 11,020 10,209 8,788 
			 Immigration/Asylum 8,711 8,146 6,643 
			 Other 2,309 2,063 2,145 
			     
			 Criminal 339 336 304 
			 Immigration/Asylum 23 29 13 
			 Other 316 307 291 
		
	
	This information was published by the Ministry of Justice in an ad hoc statistical release on 18 April 2013 (see following link). An update to this information will be provided in Court Statistics Quarterly on 20 June 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ad-hoc-statistical-releases

Judicial Review

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many responses were received by the Government's consultation on the Reform of Judicial Review;
	(2)  what proportion of responses to the Government's consultation on the Reform of Judicial Review were (a) in favour of the changes and (b) against the proposals.

Helen Grant: The Government received 252 responses to the engagement exercise ‘Judicial Review: proposals for reform’. A full breakdown of the responses is included in the Government response which was published on 23 April 2013 and is available here:
	https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review-reform

Legal Aid Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely cost of legal aid in each of the next 10 years.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice does not hold legal aid forecast information for the next 10 years. However, it does hold projections showing legal aid forecast expenditure up to 2016-17. These forecasts include the impact of all agreed policy changes including those contained in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Additionally, the forecast assumes that, apart from policy changes factored into the projections, fees remain fixed at current levels. Savings estimated through the impact of Legal Aid Transformation, which is currently in consultation, are not included.
	The Ministry of Justice remains committed to providing value for money for the taxpayer, reducing the overall cost base and making legal aid sustainable for the future.
	The latest projections showing legal aid forecast expenditure up to 2016-17 are:
	
		
			 Legal Aid forecast 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2013-14 1,836 
			 2014-15 1,719 
			 2015-16 1,679 
			 2016-17 1,666 
			 Note: Resource DEL 
		
	
	Please also note that forecasts for future years remain an estimate at this stage and the LAA has not yet agreed its budget allocation for future years with the Ministry. Legal Aid remains demand led and is affected by a number of factors outside the direct control of the Ministry within the agreed scope and eligibility criteria.

Legal Aid Scheme: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many firms received criminal legal aid payments in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency in each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records costs relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries.
	The LAA does not record information by constituency and therefore cannot provide the requested information specifically for the Hall Green constituency area. The information as follows is therefore for the Birmingham city council local authority area as the nearest proxy for the information requested.
	
		
			 Period Number of firms paid legal aid 
			 2009-10 48 
			 2010-11 52 
			 2011-12 51

Legal Aid Scheme: Carmarthenshire

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many legal offices currently deal with legal aid cases in Carmarthenshire.

Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency and its predecessor the Legal Services Commission (pre 1 April 2013) records information relating to firms by legal aid procurement area, which is broadly based on local authority boundaries. In the Sir Gaerfyrddin/Carmarthenshire area there are 19 offices with an active crime or civil legal aid contract.

Police Cautions

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that it is possible for the public to scrutinise the use by police of conditional cautions.

Jeremy Wright: We are supporting the Association of Chief Police Officers to develop retrospective local scrutiny arrangements for out-of-court disposals including conditional cautions and are working with the senior judiciary to establish whether, and if so how, we harness the unique knowledge and experience of magistrates in these arrangements. Police and Crime Commissioners can also hold police forces to account. On 3 April the Ministry of Justice announced a review of simple cautions part of which is considering how to increase scrutiny and accountability for the use of cautions; conclusions with regard to simple cautions may well apply, where applicable, to conditional cautions.

Probation

Jenny Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of offenders on the critical public protection case notification scheme are registered as medium-risk offenders by the Probation Service.

Jeremy Wright: As at 1 June 2013, there were two offenders registered with the Critical Public Protection Case (CPPC) Notification Scheme assessed as medium risk of harm. This represents less than 2% of the total number of offenders registered with the CPPC Scheme at that date.
	While the CPPC Scheme is primarily for offenders who are assessed as presenting the highest risk of serious harm, Probation Trusts may also register offenders with the Scheme where those offenders have a particularly high profile and yet are not assessed as presenting a very high risk of serious harm.
	All offenders registered with the CPPC Scheme are managed under the statutory Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements and, therefore, will be managed by the new public sector Probation Service.
	Where Members have signed the relevant agreement, they will be notified when an offender registered with the CPPC Scheme has begun a period of statutory probation supervision within their constituencies, usually on release from custody. The notification letter provides details of the risk management plan for each offender.

Public Sector: Information

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department plans to require public sector organisations to take an audit from the Information Commissioner.

Helen Grant: The Information Commissioner already has powers under existing legislation to conduct audits of public sector organisations. Under section 51 (7) of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), the Information Commissioner has the power, with the consent of the data controller, to conduct audits of the processing of personal data by an organisation in order to establish whether that processing follows good practice.
	In addition, the Government has recently consulted on extending the powers of the Information Commissioner to carry out non-consensual audits of NHS bodies’ compliance with the data protection principles under Section 41A of the DPA. The consultation closed on 17 May. The Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses to the consultation and will publish a response within three months of the close of the consultation exercise.

Reoffenders

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the reoffending rate within 12 months of release was for people sentenced to periods of imprisonment of less than 12 months in each year since 2005.

Jeremy Wright: One year proven reoffending rates for adult offenders in England and Wales released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months between 2000 and the 12 months ending June 2011 are published in Table 19a of the Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-re-offending--2

RSPCA

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions his Department has, following an order of the Crown Court, paid money out of public funds to (a) the RSPCA and (b) defendants prosecuted by the RSPCA in the last five years; and what amount was paid on each such occasion. [Official Report, 1 July 2013, Vol. 565, c. 7MC.]

Helen Grant: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not record whether the prosecuting authority is the RSPCA. I can confirm that the LAA does not fund prosecutions, including those carried out by the RSPCA.

Salvation Army

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding was (a) made available and (b) paid to the Salvation Army Victim Support Scheme in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and whether the funding commitment is open-ended.

Helen Grant: The Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales is jointly-funded by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office. The Government is committed to providing a vital service to victims of this terrible crime. The following table details the allocated and actual funding provided to The Salvation Army.
	
		
			 £ million 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Allocated 1.575 2.1 
			 Actual 1.5 3 
		
	
	As the Government's victim arrangements comply with standards set by the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, The Salvation Army delivers support to victims based on their individual needs. Since the start of the contract in July 2011, there has been significant increase in the number of referrals to The Salvation Army for support and accommodation. The reasons for this include improved front-line professionals' awareness and identification of trafficking victims. As a result, placing a limit on the amount of funding providing would be unlawful. The Ministry of Justice is therefore responsible for driving an efficient and high quality service through robust contractual arrangements.

Unpaid Fines

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the value of outstanding court costs, compensation and fines made against defendants in the magistrates court is; and how many defendants have been committed to prison for non-payment of court costs, compensation and fines in the last year for which figures are available.

Helen Grant: The total amount of fines, costs and compensation outstanding as at the end of December 2012 (latest period for which data are available) is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Imposition type Total amount outstanding as at the end of December 2012 (£) 
			 Fines 376,664,000 
			 Costs 128,070,000 
			 Compensation 72,706,000 
			 Note: Figures rounded to nearest 1,000 
		
	
	The amounts quoted include fines, costs and compensation imposed in the magistrates and Crown courts and it is not possible to separate these amounts. The amounts outstanding can include impositions made at anytime and include amounts which are not yet due to be paid or the balance on accounts that are being paid by instalments.
	When an offender is allowed to pay by instalments payments are allocated in the order of compensation, victim surcharge, costs and then fines.
	In the period April 2012 to December 2012 there were 769 offenders committed to prison for non payment of financial impositions.
	HMCTS takes the issue of fine enforcement very seriously. Over recent years there has been an improvement in the total collection of financial penalties resulting in a total of £279 million being collected against fines and related impositions in 2011-12.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Women’s Business Council

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities on which occasions the Women’s Business Council has met since it was initiated.

Jo Swinson: The Women’s Council is focused on how to maximise women’s contribution to UK economic growth. Since its establishment in May 2012, the full Women’s Business Council has met formally on a bi-monthly basis, seven times in total. In addition there has been a range of sub-committee meetings. The council’s inaugural report was published on 4 June 2013.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the names, job titles, area of work, term of appointment and civil service equivalent grade are of personnel currently seconded to his Department from the big four accountancy firms.

Mark Hoban: I can confirm that DWP has no personnel currently seconded to DWP from Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Deloitte, Ernst and Young or KPMG.

Benefits: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in Bassetlaw constituency receive employment and support allowance as a result of being unable work owing to (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction;
	(2)  how many people in Bassetlaw constituency claim incapacity benefit as a result of being unable to work owing to drug and or alcohol addiction;
	(3)  how many people currently receive employment support allowance and are also defined as suffering from an addiction to either drugs or alcohol, in each parliamentary constituency.

Mark Hoban: Entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) is not based on an individual's diagnosis or the nature of their particular disabling condition, but rather on the way that condition limits their ability to function. The work capability assessment assesses the effects of a person's condition on their ability to carry out a number of everyday activities.
	In the case of someone with drug or alcohol dependency, needs may arise by way of a physical or mental complication caused by drugs or alcohol. Many people with drug or alcohol dependence have an underlying psychiatric illness. Drug or alcohol dependency does not of itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefits.
	Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) have been replaced by ESA for new claimants since October 2008 and we are reassessing around 1.5 million old-style incapacity benefits claimants to see if they are fit for work or are eligible for ESA. The full roll-out of the incapacity benefit reassessment exercise began nationally on 4 April 2011 and is expected to be completed by April 2014.
	A spreadsheet showing ESA and IB/SDA claimants, in aggregate, with a main disabling condition of either alcoholism or drug abuse, for all parliamentary constituencies, will be placed in the Library.
	The available information on those receiving ESA and IB/SDA with a main disabling condition of alcoholism or drug abuse for Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) and incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) claimants, with a main disabling condition of alcoholism or drug abuse, in Bassetlaw parliamentary constituency—November 2012 
			 Number 
			 Bassetlaw constituency All diagnoses Alcoholism Drug abuse 
			 ESA 2,670 60 60 
			 IB/SDA 2,100 20 20 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The medical condition recorded on the claim form does not itself confer entitlement to incapacity benefit or employment support allowance. Source: DWP Information Governance and Security Directorate 100% WPLS 
		
	
	The table shows claimants where alcoholism or drug abuse was recorded as the main health condition so may not include some claimants with a drug or alcohol addiction as well as another more prominent condition.

Employment and Support Allowance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department has allocated to offering treatment to (a) drug and (b) alcohol-related employment and support allowance claimants when universal credit is introduced in October 2013.

Mark Hoban: No funding has been allocated by my Department for offering treatment to (a) drug and (b) alcohol-related employment and support allowance claimants when universal credit is introduced in October 2013.

Food Banks

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will commission an independent review of the use of food banks in (a) Greater London and (b) the UK.

Mark Hoban: Food banks are not part of Government policy and, as such, the Department for Work and Pensions does not hold or collect information on them. The Department has no plans to review the use of food banks
	DEFRA has commissioned a research to review evidence on the landscape of food provision and access in the UK. The work comprises a short research project assessing publicly available evidence on the provision of food aid in the UK. The conclusions of this work will be available in the summer and published on the Government's website.

Habitual Residence Test

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 890, on benefits: immigration, in what ways the Government is strengthening the habitual residence test; and when the strengthened test will be operative.

Mark Hoban: As announced by the Prime Minister on 25 March 2013 the Department is currently working on strengthening the Habitual Residence Test.
	This will increase the range and depth of evidence collected from claimants to improve decision making; while ensuring that the test remains within existing legal parameters. The strengthened question set will be supported by an IT system which will tailor the questions asked to individual circumstances.
	Building work on the IT design has started and will be completed before the end of 2013.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish data on the transport costs incurred by claimants of jobseeker's allowance in each (a) age group and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Mark Hoban: The Department has no plans to publish data on transport costs incurred by claimants of jobseeker’s allowance at the present time.

Pensions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each parliamentary constituency are members of (a) occupational and (b) non-occupational private pension schemes; and what the average total pensions savings held by people in each constituency is.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider alongside the Office for National Statistics whether it is feasible to produce the statistics accurately, and within the disproportionate cost limit. If so, we will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Pensions

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) pension companies, to ensure all pension companies provide trivial commutation of pension pots; what assessment he has made of the number of pension funds which are not providing trivial commutation to policyholders; and if he will bring forward proposals to make the offer of trivial commutation to policyholders compulsory.

Steve Webb: DWP Ministers have had no such discussions as trivial commutation is a matter for Treasury.

Scotland

Alistair Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff of his Department are located in Scotland; and how many such staff work on services provided to residents of England and Wales.

Mark Hoban: At 31 March 2013 the number of employees of the Department located in Scotland was 11,575. This number equates to 10,318 full-time equivalents.
	The Department delivers a number of services on a nationwide network basis. It is therefore not possible to breakdown the number of employees located in Scotland, who provide services to residents in England and Wales.

Social Security Benefits

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the effect of errors in payment of claims for (a) employment and support allowance, (b) jobseeker's allowance, (c) housing benefit and (d) income support on weekly average household disposable income in each region and constituent part of the UK in the financial years (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: Between 2009 and 2013 (provisional estimates), the overall amount of benefits overpaid due to claimant error increased from 0.8% to 0.9% and the amount overpaid due to official error reduced from 0.6% to 0.4%.
	Between 2009 and 2013 (provisional estimates), the overall amount of benefits underpaid due to claimant error remained at 0.6% and the amount underpaid due to official error remained at 0.3%.
	The specific figures for the benefits listed are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13(2) 
			   % £ million % £ million % £ million % £ million 
			 ESA(1) Overpaid—Official error n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1.1 70 
			  Overpaid—Customer error n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  Underpaid—Official error n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 0.9 60 
			  Underpaid—Official error n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 JSA Overpaid—Official error 1.8 80 2.3 100 1.1 50 0.7 40 
			  Overpaid—Customer error 0.4 20 0.4 20 0.6 30 0.6 30 
			  Underpaid—Official error 0.4 20 0.3 10 0.1 10 0.1 10 
			  Underpaid—Customer error 0.2 10 0.1 0 0.2 10 0.2 10 
			 HB Overpaid—Official error 0.7 140 0.4 90 0.6 130 0.6 130 
			  Overpaid—Customer error 2.8 560 2.8 590 2.8 650 3.3 790 
			  Underpaid—Official error 0.4 80 0.2 50 0.3 70 0.3 60 
			  Underpaid—Customer error 1.1 220 1.0 220 1.1 240 1.0 240 
			 IS Overpaid—Official error 1.4 120 0.6 50 0.7 50 0.7 40 
			  Overpaid—Customer error 1.5 130 1.0 80 1.2 80 1.3 70 
			  Underpaid—Official error 0.6 50 0.5 40 0.4 30 0.4 20 
			  Underpaid—Customer error 0.5 40 0.6 40 0.5 40 0.6 30 
			 (1) ESA overpayments and underpayments due to official error were measured in 2012/13 for the first time (2) Provisional Note: Figures rounded to nearest £10 million 
		
	
	These figures are available at the Great Britain level only. The information on the effect on weekly average household disposable income is not available.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many meetings he has had with ministerial colleagues in (a) the Department of Health and (b) the Department for Education on the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit;
	(2)  how many meetings he has had with Ministers and officials in (a) the Department of Health and (b) the Department for Education on the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit.

Mark Hoban: The Minister for Welfare Reform has met with ministerial colleagues and officials, including those from the Department of Health and the Department for Education, on a number of occasions to discuss the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit. We are aware of the importance of passported benefits for those families that receive them and we continue to work closely across Government to ensure that passported benefits remain available to those families that need them the most.

Vacancies: Internet

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employers are registered with Universal Jobmatch.

Mark Hoban: The number of employer accounts created on the Universal Jobmatch service between go-live on 19 November 2012 and 31 May 2013 is 418,427.